Show Me All Your Scars, I'll Be Delighted
Summary: When more of Dumbledore's secrets come out, Ivy concocts a plan to escape. She goes through the Veil and settles in Beacon Hills, searching for the family that was stolen from her.
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Chapter 1: Heaven Won't Take Me
…. And Hell's Afraid I'll Take Over
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Oh dear Morgana, something must have crawled in my mouth and died.
Ivy woke all at once, eyes snapping open as she sat up.
Or tried to, anyway.
Her muscles were locked up and she fell right back down, panting at the pain that was overwhelming her body.
Her entire body hurt, her skin tingling painfully. It wasn't the pins and needles that came from limbs falling asleep. This was heavier, almost as if a layer of her skin had been flayed off and left her raw.
"Well, this sucks," Ivy huffed, gritting her teeth as she pulled herself upright. The pain tripled but she worked through it, knowing that she had to find somewhere safe to recover.
Despite the pain, it was as simple as breathing to change into Rogue, her preferred state when she needed to hide.
Bones shifted, claws grew, and fur sprouted along her body.
She stood carefully and shook out her fur before lifting her nose to the air and taking a deep whiff.
The smells of a few deer, squirrels, and a rabbit made her relax as she didn't smell any human scents.
Rogue scanned her surroundings and noticed a conveniently placed hollow in an oak tree. It was small but big enough if she squeezed.
Padding over, she crawled inside and curled up, settling her tail over her snout as she allowed her consciousness to be dragged under Morpheus' call.
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The next morning, Ivy was much better than before.
Her skin was still painfully sensitive but her mind was clear as she shifted out of her Animagus form, stretching carefully.
She took in the forest stretching out around her and set off in a random direction, stretching her magic out in a wide sweep.
Nothing popped up on her radar so Ivy simply enjoyed the peace of nature as she trekked through until she left the trees behind and hit a paved road.
It was three miles until she reached the outskirts of a town, peering at the town sign curiously.
Welcome to Beacon Hills
Ivy didn't recognize the name but that wasn't saying much. She hadn't been anywhere aside from London and Scotland.
Meandering into a petrol station, she stole a map and left, settling on the grassy field next to it for a moment to check out the map.
Ivy blinked when she realized she was much farther than she'd thought.
She was all the way across the pond, in sunny California, in a small town called Beacon Hills.
"Huh, that's interesting," she mused, thinking of how the Wizarding World was probably reacting to their Savior's absence.
Bunch of sheep, Ivy thought disdainfully.
Her magic sparked under her skin and she looked up to scan the area for what was setting it off, muscles tensing in preparation to run.
There were three boys her age circling around a fourth. They were laughing at something and he was smiling blandly, discomfort obvious.
Sliding to her feet, Ivy tucked the map into her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she headed straight for them.
"Hi honey, thanks for waiting," she greeted cheerfully, slotting into the space at the fourth's side and snuggling under his arm as she smiled sunnily at the other three. "Pardon me for my rudeness, I'm Leila."
"Who are you supposed to be?" the biggest one demanded. "And what are you doing with Stilinksi?"
"He's my date, obviously," she grinned, seeing the way the bullies blanched. Turning away pointedly, Ivy pouted at her 'date'. "Baby, we're going to be late. Can we go now?"
"Uh yeah, sure! You're right," he fumbled nervously, recovering quickly to smile smugly at the three, arm tightening around her shoulders as he ushered her over to a blue Jeep. "You'll have to excuse us, guys. I've got a date with a beautiful girl to get to."
Mirth rising, Ivy let him usher her over to the passenger side and open the door, closing it behind her once she was settled. He moved around to the other side and hopped into the driver's seat, offering a beaming wave to the three who were left gaping as he pulled out of there.
"Soo, thanks for, well, that," he waved awkwardly, shooting her a curious glance. "I can drive you to wherever you want. I'm Stiles, by the way."
"Wherever I want?" Relaxing back into her seat, she turned her head to eye him in interest. "What if I want to get dinner and a movie? I'm Ivy, by the way."
Stiles blinked and sputtered, surprised. "You actually want to go on a date?! With me?"
"Why not? You're cute, I'm new to town, might as well get to know someone."
"We just met!"
Crossing one leg over the other, Ivy twisted in her seat to smirk back. "That's the point of a date, Stiles. Getting to know each other. I'd like to get to know you if that's alright."
He stared at her for a minute before nodding, looking back to the road. "Yeah, that's alright. Why not? You're not a serial killer or a vampire that wants to drain me dry… Right?"
"If I were either, you'd already be done for."
"That's fair. Where do you wanna eat?"
"Surprise me."
Stiles' choice turned out to be a small, local diner that he claimed sold the best curly fries and sandwiches. Ivy had to agree with him as she devoured two BLTs and two boxes of curly fries, her hunger flaring back to life after months of rabbits and squirrels in the forest.
Stiles didn't seem put off at all by her appetite, only watching in a small degree of surprise and admiration.
"So you said you're new in town. Where are you coming from, exactly?"
Ivy sipped at her milkshake, raising an eyebrow. "It's safe to say the accent gives that away."
He rubbed at the back of his head sheepishly, conceding with a nod. "True but what part of England are you from? Come on, I've never been outside this tiny town. Indulge my curiosity."
"London," she smirked, setting her shake down and twirling the straw idly. "I went to a boarding school in Scotland though so my accent's probably a mix between the two."
"That makes more sense. What's boarding school like? Is it how all the movies make it seem? Fancy uniforms and snooty rich kids?"
Ivy snickered briefly, thinking of Draco. "Kind of. We had the fancy uniforms for sure and there were a lot of rich kids who liked to throw their family's money around."
"You don't peg me as one of those kids," he commented, eyeing her.
"I'm not," she confirmed with a shrug. "I grew up in suburbia hell and dealt with bullies twice the size as the blokes that were cornering you at the petrol station. I didn't start attending the fancy boarding school until I was eleven."
"That was when you got your Hogwarts letter then," Stiles laughed, unaware of the heart attack she was currently having.
Her fingers curled into tight fists in her jacket pockets as she discretely glanced at the exit, wondering if she could escape before he drew his wand.
"Hogwarts?" She asked smoothly, tilting her head in confusion.
"Oh my gosh, you're from London and you've never read Harry Potter?" He exclaimed in outrage, continuing at her blank look of incomprehension. "It's a book series about a kid named Harry Potter who goes through all this crazy stuff when he finds out he has magic. Like there's a Phoenix and a villain and everything. It's crazy. I've loved the books since I was a kid and I always wished they were real."
The tension drained out of her shoulders as Ivy leaned back in the booth, relaxing minutely.
It sounded like she was a fictional book character in this universe. She didn't exist.
Ivy couldn't control her smile at that, relishing in the newfound freedom.
"It sounds interesting. I'll have to try it out sometime," she glanced at the clock hanging above the cash register over at the counter. "We'd better get going. You still owe me a movie, remember?"
"Oh yeah! Let's go!"
Stiles was an utter gentleman as he paid for their meals and led her back to the Jeep, holding the door open for her again.
When they reached the movie theater, Ivy stood unsurely as she looked at all the movie posters with wide eyes.
"How am I supposed to choose? There's too many."
She'd never been allowed to go to see any films so she was overwhelmed by the choices.
"What about that one?" Stiles pointed to a poster that showed a blonde guy in a red and white striped suit with a shield. "It's about a guy called Captain America. He's a hero that fights Natzis and stuff."
Nausea coiled in the pit of her stomach as she shook her head, thinking of Riddle's reign of terror. "No thank you. What about that one?"
She pointedly to a random one blindly and Stiles looked before nodding in understanding.
"That's Thor. I haven't seen it yet since it's the first one but the comics about it are pretty good," he commented. "It's about Norse gods and mythology."
"Sounds interesting," Ivy decided, taking his hand and tugging him over to join the line of people getting tickets.
"Do you want any candy?" Stiles offered, surprising her.
"Oh…sure I guess. If it's not a bother," she shrugged, shuffling uncomfortably as she looked away.
"It's not," he squeezed her hand and tangled their fingers, seeing her mood change. "This is a date, remember? What the lady wants, the lady gets."
He winked playfully and Ivy laughed, offering a small, shy smile.
"Well if you put it that way…" she trailed off, continuing quieter. "I haven't ever had much candy really so I don't know what to get. Any suggestions?"
Stiles lit up with a grin. "You're in for a treat then, Ivy. Don't worry, I know just what you'll like."
"I'll trust your judgment then."
That was how Ivy found herself settling in one of the seats in the back of the theater, Stiles to her right, a pile of different types of candy sprawled out over their laps.
She found herself genuinely enjoying the night as they watched the movie and snacked on the candy. Twix were her favorite, she decided, closely followed by snickers. The red Twirlers were left to Stiles, who pounced on them eagerly.
The movie almost had her in tears at points.
Particularly when Loki discovered that he had been lied to all his life about his parentage.
That resonated with her as she'd been lied to and manipulated by people she trusted far too many times.
Not to mention, the new secret of her parentage, the lies that Dumbledore had spun to get what he wanted.
"That was brilliant!" Ivy was grinning as they left the theater, heading back to the Jeep. "I think Loki's my favorite in that whole movie."
"Mine too," Stiles agreed as they slid into the car and buckled up. "Him and Darcy."
"Definitely Darcy too. She made zapping people look fun."
Stiles shot her a side glance, amused and worried in turn. "Note to self, keep you away from tasers. Have you ever been shot with one? Those things seriously hurt."
"Hm, not a taser but something similar," Ivy hummed, catching the worried look he shot her. "I'm fine. Had a nasty experience once with a guy who couldn't take no for an answer. It's all good now."
"I want to know the full story to that, but I feel like it would be insensitive to ask."
"Oh yes, it would be very rude. Maybe I'll tell you some other time."
"So where am I dropping you off?" He questioned, tapping at the wheel as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Ivy hesitated at that, making some quick calculations.
"About that…"
"What? What's wrong?" He looked over, concerned.
"Full disclosure, I don't have a place to stay," she bit her lip, avoiding his eyes as she fiddled with her hands. "I didn't move here so much as run. Is there a hotel here? One that won't cost an arm and a leg to stay at."
"What?!" He pulled over to the side of the road and parked, twisting in his seat to face her. "You ran away? How did you get all the way here from freakin' London?! Where have you been staying?"
"I got here yesterday and I stayed in the woods," Ivy answered honestly, lifting her eyes to meet his. "Please don't tell anyone. I just…I needed a new start away from everything."
Stiles was quiet, his gaze thoughtful as he contemplated her words. He must have seen something in her eyes as he softened, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. I won't tell anyone," he swore, pointing a finger at her sternly. "But I'm going to help you and you're going to take it. I don't know what made you run away but I get it, okay? You don't want anyone finding you, right?"
"I'd prefer that, yeah," she swallowed hard, blinking back tears as they suddenly welled up at the unexpected kindness. "Thank you, Stiles. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"You're welcome, Ivy," he started the car, pulling back onto the road. "There's a hotel on the edge of town. It's not the best but it'll do for a few nights. Do you have a plan? Money? Food?"
"I have some money and I'm okay on food for now," she answered, patting her bag pointedly.
"Ivy, that bag's the size of a small dog. It's not going to hold much more than snacks."
"Holds more than you think," she shot a grin his way. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
"Worry's my default setting," he replied dryly. "You'll have to get used to that. You'll need to give me your number so we can keep in touch."
"I don't actually have one," she muttered sheepishly at his wide eyes. "I wasn't ever allowed to have one, okay? I'll get one tomorrow."
"You'd better," he warned, pulling into an old hotel. "Do you have the right kind of money for tonight? I think it's like $60 a night."
Ivy faltered, not having thought of that. "Bollocks."
"Here, there's $60. It should be enough for tonight," Stiles dug around in his jeans before slapping three twenties into her hand. "There's a pawn shop right down the road and they'll exchange your money for a cheap price. Just be sure to do that tomorrow, okay?"
Ivy sat stunned, struck by the unexpected kindness being shown. She was practically a stranger.
"What do you want? What's the catch?" She clenched her jaw hard, narrowing her eyes. "You don't know me, not really."
That seemed to sadden him as he smiled, gentle and soft. "I know a bit from our incredible date but I'd like to get to know you further. There's no catch. Well, other than staying in contact. Maybe another date later."
The last part was said teasingly and she huffed out a laugh, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
"Alright, I can accept that. Thank you, Stiles."
He blushed bright red as she pulled away, fumbling to push a piece of paper at her as she slipped out of the Jeep.
"That's my number. Don't lose it."
"I won't," Ivy smiled and waved over her shoulder as she headed towards the front. "See you around, Stiles. Let me know when you want that second date!"
"I will! Bye Ivy!" He called back as he drove off.